3 Ways to Style Your Table for Summer with 1 Tray
Summer is my favorite time in Michigan-long sunny days, cool nights, and hardly any humidity. I don’t wear make-up, I live in flip flops and sundresses, and my children only come indoors to use the restroom. Life is practically schedule free. Want to eat lunch in the lake on a tube? Sure thing. Have a glass a wine before grilling up dinner at dusk? Yup. My family practically lives outside from May until September.
And here in Michigan we are surrounded by water-literally. And with hundreds of inland lakes here as well, summer cottages rule the summer. And we are blessed enough to have our own little place right on the lake. We live at our lake house nearly every weekend. Life slows down, we connect as a family, and we enjoy all the little things of life. Those crazy fall schedules give way to “What should we have for dinner?” greeted by shrugs as everyone goes back in for a dip in the water. Seriously, it is why I put up with the Michigan winters!
But whether you are enjoying summer by the water, in your backyard, or even inside with the AC blasting on high: I’ve got one little piece that is going to make your summer a whole lot easier.
A simple tray.
Yep, one tray mixed in with colorful melamine dishes and some preppy nautical touches can make your summer table the place to be. Read on to find out the 3 Ways I styled my table for summer:
Yup, this little thing made my life so much easier this summer while trying to feed kids, entertain friends, and keep the snacks flowing. You can grab one you already have, or scroll down to see my Favorite Outdoor Summer Tray Round-Up.
Picking the Right Serving Tray
Summer is about no cares and no worries. So this summer I went easy breezy and grabbed a sturdy, easy-to-clean melamine tray. I used this MELAMINE TRAY and I love it. The kids can’t break it, and it is timeless. You can also use plastic, lacquer, or galvanized trays that will easily go from indoors to outdoors.
I used this single tray styled three different ways in our cottage’s Dining Room to give you some ideas. Best yet-they are all practical and can easily go from indoors to outdoors.
#1 Way to Style Your Table for Summer: Create A Mini Bar
Adults Only Summer Mini Bar
Every year my hubby and I create a summer drink. And this summer we are obsessed with pairing sparkling waters with different vodkas and fruits. So I loaded up a couple of bottles of our favorite bubbly, some spirits, and these unbreakable plastic glasses. This tall drink dispenser has plain old lemonade that we can use to mix cocktails or let the kids use it.
Summer Mini Bar for the Kids
At our lake house the most used traffic pattern is the one leading from the back deck at the lake to our dining room. And to help prevent dripping kiddos from running through the house, I’ve been finding shortcuts to bring the indoors outdoors. So I load up the tray with drinks and bring it outdoors to them. We keep lemonade in the dispenser or fruit juice. It is like the magic drink fairy (sorry guys, fairy not included). I bring it all out to them, and set up a mini bar area on the outdoor dining table and they are happy as little clams. At our lake house we use a lot of plastic and melamine dishware to help keep life easy. And summer drinks are always more fun with these chunky bright colored straws.
#2 Way to Style Your Table for Summer: Snacks = Happiness
Raise your hand if you have caught your child standing in the kitchen with the fridge door open. Staring. Searching. And then complaining “There’s nothing good to eat!”. Yup, about a thousand times this summer. So while most of the summer I let the kids forage for their own snacks while I catch up on my Kindle by the lake, every now and then I pull a Martha and have the snacks ready for them.
The same trick as #1-if I have the snacks out and accessible, I prevent my kids (and all of the neighbor kids) from tracking in lake water and sand throughout the whole lake house. I park the tray right on the dining room table, and let them jump in and out. If your dining room isn’t the closest room to the outdoors, then park it on a coffee table or even set up a small table right by the door. Its amazing how long kids can play when they have summer sunshine and good snacks.
I put out a stack of paper napkins and use patterned melamine bowls so I don’t have to worry about anything breaking. I grabbed a larger set of red melamine bowls for larger snacks, and these smaller navy ones for things like nuts and fruit. P.S. All of the bowls are from Target!
And if snacks turn into dinnertime, I found these coordinating melamine plates in this classic navy and blue combo!
#3 Way to Style Your Table for Summer: Use a Tray as a Centerpiece
So when I’m not feeding or hydrating my children? Instead of storing it away, I keep my tray out on our lake house’s dining room table. If you have been hanging with me for any time now you know I loooooove using trays for dining rooms or living room coffee tables. You can keep all of your pretty little bobbles corralled, and then easily pick it all up with one swoop. As a busy Mom and I don’t have time to constantly style and re-arrange a million items on my tabletops. They are too often used for craft projects or impromptu Lego building sessions. Instead, I create just ONE cute vignette inside a tray, then easily pick it up and move it when needed.
The easiest way is to literally go out to your backyard and pick what you find. Flowers, branches, even tall grasses look good when you put them in a vase. I have a completely brown thumb, so if I can’t find something from my yard, I buy a seasonal spring of something faux and leave it. But at this time of year we have hydrangeas so we pick a few and throw them in a Mason jar.
And when it is time to eat, if I need more space I literally just pick up the whole tray and plop it on the nearby coffee table.
And here is a peek of our cottage’s dining room with our simple table set up for dinner on the lake.
Summer Outdoor Living Decor
So relax this summer. Keep things simple and casual. Especially in the summer when we are practically living outdoors, I like to go for simple, durable, and easy to clean items. So while I chose this TRAY because it was practical and cute, there are a myriad of different types of trays you can use. Don’t feel like you need to keep it to the dining room though. Use these as coffee table decor, corralling jars and spices in the kitchen, or use in your bathroom to keep all of your products together.
Style Your Table for Summer with a Tray Round Up
Looking for a new tray?
I created this Summer Tray Round-Up of my six favorite trays to use indoors or outdoors. You can find this Round Up along with the Shopping List in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY along with dozens of other design freebies, Mood Boards, Guides, Worksheets, and more. Simply click on the image below to get your free access.
Already a member of my Free Resource Library? Just log in HERE with your password to access.
I went with Tray #1 from the above round-up, but all of those beauties will work for you this summer.
So maybe we can bring our snacks in from dockside and enjoy our newly styled summer table this season!
Want Even More Ideas for Summer Outdoor Living?
You can check out SEVEN different custom back patio designs or outdoor living areas I have designed for clients. Grab oodles of design ideas for your own outdoor living space. Whether you are looking for an outdoor sofa, a dining table area, or just a few outdoor updates, I’ve got you covered.
7 Different Patio and Deck Designs for Outdoor Living this Summer
Enjoy your summer and have a cocktail for me!
And as always, if you have a question on anything you have seen, or just want to chat about your project, drop me a line at kristin@postboxdesigns.com or find out How Online Interior Design Works!
Cheers,
Kristin
Wayfair has sponsored this post. All thoughts, opinions, styling, and photos are my own. I only use products that I truly love and would purchase for my own home. And P.S. I love my new tray!
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